100 Saints You Should Know – Schenectady Civic Players This was an early favorite, so much so that I saw it twice. A strong cast of characters grapple with questions of faith, all looking for answers but also comfort, and ultimately finding it in the emotional connections they share. It’s…
by Dan Mayer Playwright Abe Koogler filtered his own experiences living on an island in Puget Sound into Deep Blue Sound, and the result is a deeply human play about people struggling to make sense of the world and their place in it. Harbinger Theatre‘s production is funny, hopeful, and…
by Dan Mayer Not everyone is destined to defeat the dark lord and save the world. Puffs takes us back to a familiar school of magic to follow the stories of characters usually relegated to the background. SLCA‘s production casts quite a spell, delivering both hilarity and heart. Audience members…
by Dan Mayer Does anyone have the right to say what a writer can and can’t write about? The Pillowman doesn’t really answer this question, but it certainly plays with the idea. Albany Civic Theater showcases an outstanding production of a play that is challenging to watch. It needs to…
by Dan Mayer Faith can be a powerful thing, whether someone is introduced to it from a young age or discovers it laterin life, and finding or losing faith can irreversibly change who we are. Kate Fodor’s 100 Saints You ShouldKnow isn’t about saints, but about regular people and how…
We’ve had an embarrassment of riches with so many great shows happening all over the region, all deserving their own praise, but here are a few standouts that stuck with me: The Humans – Home Made Theater There’s something about the familiar awkwardness of The Humans still makes me shift…
by Dan Mayer After seeing The Squirrels at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts, a friend who had accompanied me asked, with visible confusion, what we had just watched. That is the sort of question invited by writer Robert Askins’ bizarre tragicomedy, and Harbinger Theatre‘s production embraces the absurdity…
by Dan Mayer Driving Miss Daisy is Alfred Uhry’s most successful play, which he adapted into the screenplay for the critically-acclaimed film of the same name. It paints a vivid picture of life in mid-20th-century Georgia where he grew up. Albany Civic Theater‘s production is a joy to watch, mainly…
